To win a single premiership is a remarkable achievement, but to win eight premierships in a row is unheard of, a monumental accomplishment to be witnessed perhaps once in a lifetime.
Such was the remarkable achievement of the 2025 ‘Legendary Team’ induction into the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame: the George Town Football Club’s incredible run from 2002-2009.
At the turn of the new millennium, the George Town Football Club hadn’t played in a senior Grand Final since 1993.
It all changed in 2001 with the return to the club of two prodigal sons, new senior coach Dale Chugg and midfielder Chris Jones.
In Chugg’s first season at the helm George Town topped the ladder with 16 wins from 18 games, falling short in the Grand Final by 35 points.
In 2002 the Saints once again dominated the season to finish with a 16-3 record and advance to the Grand Final, emerging 61-point victors over Longford.
It was an impressive and timely triumph, however, none could have imagined what was to follow.
In 2003 they stormed through the home-and-away season undefeated, the only blemish being a low-scoring draw in appalling conditions at Scottsdale.
Scottsdale would, as it turned out, be George Town’s opponents in their third straight Grand Final but they still secured a 64-point win.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing: the premiership run looked to be in danger part-way through 2004 as the Saints won only seven of their first 13 games.
However, George Town rallied to win their final nine games, culminating in a 72-point Grand Final win (Scottsdale again the victim).
The following season, George Town claimed the 2005 flag with a 168-point obliteration of Deloraine, the second highest winning margin in a senior Grand Final anywhere in Australia.
George Town’s fifth successive premiership in 2006 - a dominant 88-point victory over Longford - also brought to an end the Dale Chugg era, the old warrior going out on top.
The coaching reins would pass from 2007 to reigning Best & Fairest Anthony Axton.
The changes made little difference, the George Town juggernaut rolling on to capture flag number six on the trot defeating Longford in a relatively close 28-point game.
2008 was more of the same, a Best on Ground performance by Chris Jones (his second in three years) delivering premiership No. 7, this time over Bracknell.
By 2009, the great side was showing signs of decline, but after a Qualifying Final win over Scottsdale, a loss to Rocherlea and overcoming an inaccurate Bridgenorth in the Preliminary Final, George Town lined up for their ninth successive decider as, for the first time in years, the underdogs.
In one of the finest NTFA Grand Finals this century, George Town fought back from an early deficit to win a monumental arm-wrestle by just two points, and with it their eighth successive premiership.
All good things, however, must come to an end. In 2010 the Saints fell to fourth on the ladder, and the club’s reign officially ended courtesy of a 32-point Elimination Final loss to Scottsdale.
The George Town Football Club’s incredible premiership ‘eight-peat’ marks one of the greatest periods of sustained success in Tasmanian football history.
Between 2001 and 2009 the Saints produced a remarkable record of 161 wins from 187 games, a winning record of 86.09%.
In all, 57 players won premiership medals, with Chris Jones and Anthony Axton the only two players to feature in all eight flags.
The George Town team of 2002-2009 will be induced into the Tasmania Football Hall of Fame at AFL Tasmania’s night of nights later this month.
For the first time since the inaugural Hall of Fame Gala Dinner – Icons Royce Hart, Peter Hudson and Ian Stewart will all be in attendance, offering a special opportunity to talk to the trio in an exciting time for the game in Tasmania.
The night will also feature five new inductees and one Icon elevation.
The Gala Dinner taking place on Friday February 28 at My State Bank Arena.